Western Washington University

01/30/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/30/2026 14:57

College of Business and Economics to host author Soren Kapan on harnessing human experiences in AI-driven job market

College of Business and Economics to host author Soren Kapan on harnessing human experiences in AI-driven job market

The AI entrepreneur and award-winning author will speak about Experiential Intelligence, AI fluency, and how to leverage human experiences in today's job market

January 30, 2026

"Zero to App: AI Innovation Principles in Action"

4-5 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 12

Academic West 210

Free and open to all

Western Washington University's College of Business and Economics is pleased to welcome Soren Kaplan, AI entrepreneur and author of "Experiential Intelligence," to speak about bridging the gap between traditional career advice and the realities of the AI revolution at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 12, in Academic West 210. The event is free and open to the public.

Soren's talk, titled "Zero to App: AI Innovation Principles in Action," will illustrate how the fundamental principles of entrepreneurship persist even in a tech-saturated market. He will introduce the Experiential Intelligence (XQ) framework from his book, where human skills like "reading the room," navigating ambiguity, and leveraging personal experience are the ultimate differentiators in today's AI-driven world. He'll also demonstrate how to build a functional AI app from scratch using Replit.

Attendees will leave this talk with a clearer understanding of how to combine their unique human experiences with powerful AI tools to stand out in today's job market.

About the speaker:

Soren Kaplan is an award-winning author, former corporate executive, founder of the consulting and app development firm InnovationPoint, a columnist for Inc. Magazine and Psychology Today, and an affiliate at the Center for Effective Organizations at the University of Southern California. He is an international keynote speaker and has led professional development programs for thousands of leaders worldwide. Business Insider and the Thinkers50 have recognized Kaplan as one of the world's top management thought leaders and consultants. His latest book, "Experiential Intelligence," reveals how life experience contributes a form of intelligence on par with IQ (intellect) and EQ (emotional intelligence), which can be leveraged for breakthrough leadership and innovation. He holds a master's and Ph.D. degrees in Organizational Psychology.

For accommodation, please contact Kelli Burton at [email protected]. Advanced notice is appreciated and sometimes necessary to arrange for some accessibility needs.

Western Washington University published this content on January 30, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on January 30, 2026 at 20:57 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]